Foot and Mouth Disease

Pigs generate truly massive amounts of infectious particles – 1 pig producing as much as an entire herd of cows. The Island follows international measures to mitigate the risk of disease entering local pigs by prohibiting the feeding of waste food to pigs; this practice would be the most serious internal risk to the national herd and flock and the department visits pig holdings annually (at least) to reinforce this message.

Because pigs of all kinds are a similar risk, the department makes no exceptions for 'pet pigs'; indeed, pigs that are kept in smaller numbers as 'pets' are perhaps more likely to be fed scraps – this is both high risk and illegal! All pigs, whatever their breed, size, or number are restricted to their holding and no 'walking licences' or other permit to move pigs off any holding (even on a temporary basis) are issued beyond formal movement licences between farms for bona fide business purposes.